CSA Standard Share Week 18: The Opening of the Badger Girl Soup Kitchen

I think this is my first week of posting late. I could give you a bunch of excuses: I got behind in my posting, my two vats of potato leek soup got the best of me, my body hurt too much too type from the marathon- but in all honesty, I was just really underwhelmed by this week’s share. I was looking forward to butternut squash and kale, instead I got more of those Packer squashes (the yellow and green striped ones) and my share easily fit into one bag.

Now that I am over my initial disappointment, I have decided that I should probably open a soup kitchen with all the soup I have made and am planning to make. I love making soups because of our chest freezer. I make a big batch and then freeze the leftovers in individual sized containers and then I have a quick, homemade lunch without a lot of fuss.

Here is what we got:

Winter Squash, Carnival and Packer
Bok Choy
Celery Root
Broccoli
Onion
Leek
Collard Greens
Salad Mix
Garlic

Winter Squash- I have been eagerly awaiting butternut squash. Since we didn’t get that, I am going to make the best with what we have and attempt to make soup out of the squash. I like it a little spicy and I am going to use some tried and true sweet potato and butternut squash recipes to start. Stay tuned in the next week to read about the results.

Celery Root-Thanks to other’s dislike, I did strike it rich in the Discard pile with two additional celery roots. Some people think they are ugly, but beauty is in the eye of the beholder and I think they are just beautiful.

With three of them, I can make a couple of different things. I found this recipe for a celery root and apple soup. In the latest issue of Food Network, they have this great section for root vegetables and what to do with them. If you are puzzled by roots, you should check it out! There, they suggest roasting celery root with honey, apple cider vinegar, almonds, and parsley. I am in!

Broccoli– You know we love our broccoli. Matter of fact, we ate all of it yesterday! For lunch, I made some Udon noodles, steamed the broccoli, and then tossed both of them with jarred organic peanut sauce. It made a great lunch! For you Madisonians, I really like the peanut sauce from Brennan’s.

Leek– I made two versions of potato leek soup yesterday using two bags of potatoes and 6 leeks. I did Julia Child’s version and was completely unimpressed so for the next vat, I did it Badger Girl style with chile peppers, tomatoes, and garlic. Tune in next week for the recipe and a lesson in how to clean leeks.

Collard Greens– Last time I lamented what to do with collard greens and I got some good responses. Blanch the collard greens. Make a rice or quinoa pilaf as a stuffing. Wrap the pilaf in the collard green leaf. Doesn’t it sound fancy and delicious?

Bok Choy– I have brought Manatee over to the dark side. He now LOVES tofu and I couldn’t be happier. We will be doing a tofu stir fry with Bok Choy this week. Can’t wait!

I would love to hear some of your plans with this week’s share.